Karun Nair scored his second first-class century in a row on the opening day of the third round of Ranji Trophy 2025-26.
Karun Nair hits second consecutive Ranji Trophy hundred
Batting first against Kerala at the KCA Cricket Ground in Mangalapuram, Karnataka found themselves in early trouble after the cheap dismissals of openers Mayank Agarwal (5) and KV Aneesh (8). At 13-2, Karun came to the crease and patiently batted for 107 balls to reach his fifty. He stitched together a 123-run stand with the visitors’ wicketkeeper, KL Shrijith (65). After Shrijith fell at 136-3, Karun joined forces with Ravichandran Smaran to consolidate the innings. He took just 53 deliveries more to reach his hundred, with the help of 10 fours and two sixes.
Read more: Ravichandran Smaran: A future all-format star in the making
After reaching the three-figure mark, Karun dug deep and finished the day on 142 from 251 balls, hitting only four more fours after passing his hundred. Smaran, meanwhile, remained unbeaten on 88 off 143 deliveries, an innings laced with eight fours and a six. The duo shared an unbroken 183-run partnership to take Karnataka to 319-3 at stumps on the opening day.
Match 49, Kerala vs Karnataka
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Karun looks well set to post another big score, following his 174 not out in his previous innings against Goa. In that match as well, he came in with his team in trouble at 26-2 and later at 65-4, before guiding them to a total of 371 in a drawn game.
Karun finds form after Test snub
Karun’s back-to-back Ranji Trophy hundreds came after his snub from the Indian Test team, which came after their 2-2 draw in England. On that tour, Karun, making his international comeback after a hiatus of eight years, had a lukewarm outing, scoring 205 runs at an average of 25.62 in four matches. His only fifty – a 57 off 109 balls – came at The Oval in what was India's narrowest-ever Test victory.
He lost his Test when India announced their squad for the West Indies home series, with chief selector Ajit Agarkar stating that he "expected a little bit more" from the Karnataka batter on the England tour.
"It’s quite disappointing [being dropped], but I know that I deserve to be there after the last two years [of domestic cricket] I've had. People might have their own opinions, but personally, my opinion is that I deserve a lot better," Karun vented his frustration as quoted by Times of India.
He scored 690 runs at 40.58 and 863 at 53.93 in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, respectively. Currently averaging 198.50 this season from four innings (as of stumps today), Karun has made an excellent start to the 2025-26 campaign.
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